Submission wrestling, also known as submission grappling, submission fighting or simply grappling, is a competitive martial art and combat sport that focuses on ground fighting and submission techniques. It is a hybrid discipline that incorporates elements of various grappling arts such as various wrestling styles, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Submission wrestling is practiced both as a competitive sport and as a training method for self-defence and mixed martial arts (MMA).
José Mário Sperry is a Brazilian heavyweight mixed martial artist. His specialty is Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grappling and ground fighting. He is also one of the founders of the Brazilian Top Team, where he trained fighters such as Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Antônio Rogério Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, and Paulo Filho, among others.
Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas is a Brazilian former mixed martial arts fighter, submission wrestler, kickboxer and instructor. Ruas was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion, and also competed for the World Vale Tudo Championship (WVC), PRIDE Fighting Championships and the International Fight League, where he head-coached the Southern California Condors.
Ricardo Arona is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist, submission grappler and 4th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt practitioner.
Marcelo Garcia is a Brazilian submission grappler and a 4th degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and coach. A highly decorated competitor, Garcia is widely considered to be one of the best grapplers in the world and arguably the best pound for pound submission grappler. Holding 5 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and 4 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship titles, Garcia is a member of the IBJJF Hall of Fame and the third BJJ athlete to be inducted into the ADCC Hall of Fame.
Roger Gracie is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist (MMA) and 5th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner and coach.
Dean Richard Lister is a retired American mixed martial artist (MMA) and submission grappler. He is a 4th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt, luta livre black belt, and coach. Lister is considered a pioneer of grappling and mixed martial arts.
Pablo Popovitch is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, mixed martial artist and a 4th degree black belt under Jorge Popovitch.
Marcello Salazar M. Bergo is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Brazilian Top Team, and is currently a full-time instructor at Brazilian Top Team-Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida.
André Luiz Leite Galvão is a Brazilian grappler and professional mixed martial artist. A 4th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Fernando "Tererê" Augusto as well as a Judo black belt, Galvão is one of the most decorated athletes ever, having won most major international tournaments multiple times.
Kron Gracie is a Brazilian and American mixed martial artist, submission grappler, and instructor.
Ryan Hall is an American professional mixed martial artist and instructor of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, who competed in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is known for a number of competitive achievements, ranging from Mundial and ADCC victories to dozens of Grapplers Quest championships. He is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 22.
Antonio Ricardo Jardim Libório is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Grand Master Carlson Gracie. He is the co-founder of American Top Team (ATT) and Brazilian Top Team (BTT), the founder and CEO of Martial Arts Nation and the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Institute (IBJJI), and also a professor of BJJ at the University of Central Florida.
Thomas Carroll DeBlass is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, submission grappler and mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship. He has competed in the middleweight division for Bellator and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
João Assis, is a Brazilian Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and a former mixed martial artist. Assis is a world no-gi champion and an ADCC gold and silver medalist. João became the 2013 ADCC Submission Grappling World Champion by defeating Dean Lister in the finals.
The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship is an international submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). The inaugural tournament was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1998. It has been held every two years since 2001, except in 2021 due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Host countries have included Brazil, China, Finland, Spain, the UK, and the US.
Penny Thomas is a South African submission grappler and 3rd degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt practitioner and coach. After opening South Africa's first jiu-jitsu academy in her garage, Thomas won two BJJ world champion titles. Subsequently, she relocated to the United States, where she trained under the guidance of Luis Heredia and later Leticia Ribeiro.
Craig Benjamin Jones is an Australian grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt competitor and coach. An IBJJF World No-Gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion as a white belt, Jones is a two-time ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist and a three-time Polaris Pro Grappling champion. Jones trains out of Austin, Texas, and is the head of B Team Jiu-Jitsu.
Juliana Vieira Borges is a Brazilian former freestyle wrestler, submission grappler, Judoka and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt practitioner.
